Fire-extinguisher.



INVENTOR.

. @fi/@0f ATTORNEY IVI. G. KOPF.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION man APR. 22. 191s.

UNITED sTnTns PATENT ornion.'

MELROSE G. Kerr, OrjnaYToiv, OHIO, nssieivon To THE mirino PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented" May c, 191e.

Application inea Apr'irzz, 191s. serial No. 22%),991.

and particularly tothat type of fire extin-` gnislier from which the liquid" is expelled by the pressure of a gas generated in the extinguisher, by bringing together suitable generating substances, such, for example, as sodium carbonate and sulfuric acid, or calcium carbid and; water.

The object ofthe invention is to provide a fire extinguisher of this type whiclr will be very simple both in its construction and in its operation; and* which can be produced at a low cost' and' can be very easily charged or recharged without the use of special tools. lt is also an object of the invention to provide an extinguisher of this type in which the gas generating and liquid' expelling devices will be very compact in formfand arrangement', thus providing' anextinguisher of small size but of a relatively large capacity; and in which it will not be necessary to use a breakable container. It is also an object of the invention to provide an extinguisher of this character inwhich the gas generating substances will be effectually isolated but in which they may be quickly brought into contact one with the other in such a manner as to cause a maximum production of gas in a minimum of time; and in which the necessary amount of gas willv be produced from relatively small quantities of the gas generating substances. Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the device is described inv detail.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section`,illus trating thev inventibn; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 -2 of Fig. l; and 3 is a sectional view of one end of the extinguisher showing a` modified form` of* the invention. i

In these drawings I' have illustrated' two embodiments' of my invention and have, in each instance, shown the same as comprising a cylindrical casing 1 closed at its upper and lower ends by cylinder heads 2 and 3 and having a discharge Opening, which may be of any suitable character but in the present instance consists of a valved nozzle 4 arranged centrally of the cylinder head 3. Mounted within the casing ll` is a piston 5 adapted,1 to beV moved: towardV the discharge opening to expel the iireextinguishing liquid from' the casing. This piston may be of any suitable material but is preferably of some material, such as lead, which' will not be affected by the chemicals contained in the fire extinguishing solution and' comprising the gas generating substances. In the present constiiiction,` the piston is a floating piston, that is, it is not supported within' the casing but is of suicient length to give it ample bearing on the side wall of the casing to prevent it from twisting or binding, and it is preferably lapped into the casing so as to" form a snug fit, which while permitting' a free movement of the piston, will prevent an appreciable leakage between the pistonl and the wall of the casing. l

The piston is actuated by pressure of gas produced between the same and the end of the casing. The gas generating substances froml which this gasis evolved are normally isolated one from the other and means are provided to bring them into contact when it is desired to use the extinguisher. In the present constructions, one of the gas generating substances is carried by the piston and the other is supported out of contact with the first substance but adjacent thereto, and means are provided for releasing last mentioned substance from its supporting means and causing it to come into contact with the first mentioned substance, and, preferably, to be scattered over the first mentioned substance so as to cause the instantaneous evolution of practicallv a maximuml quantity of gas. Obviously if no piston is employed, the first mentioned substance may be otherwise supported inthe properposition with relation to the second substance.

Any suitable gas generating substance may be employed, such as sulfuric acid and sodium carbonate, or calcium carbid and water, but I prefer to use an organic acid, which will? not corrodeor otherwise injuriously affect the piston or other metal parts, and I have fou'nd that oxalic acidr and sodium bicarbonate give excellent results. Usually one of the gas generating substances is in the form of a liquid and the other' is dry, and a satisfactory evolution of gas may be had by supporting either substance upon the piston and causing the other substance to be brought into contact therewith. In both constructions here shown, I have provided the piston with a receptacle in which the liquid is carried, and have provided means for supporting the dry substance in the casing adjacent to but out of contact with the liquid. This may be accomplished in various ways, as providing the dry substance, or salt, in the form of a compressed block or tablet which may be shattered by a suitable breaking device, or by placing the same in a container from which it will be released by suitable means. In either instance, the salt will be scattered over the acid and a very large part thereof will be instantly brought into contact with the acid.

The receptacle for the acid, or other substance wliich is carried by the piston, may be provided in any suitable manner, but I prefer to form it directly in the piston. To this end I have shown the piston as hollow, the internal cavity being of a relatively large size. The upper edge of the wall of the piston, that is the edge opposite the discharge opening of the casing, is turned inwardly and downwardly as shown at 6 so as to provide about the upper edge of the piston an internal channel of a capacity sufficient to accommodate the normal quantity of acid contained by the piston. Thus the acid will be retained within the piston when the casing is in 'a perpendicular position with either end uppermost or when it is in a horizontal position. The inturned edge of the piston wall forms an opening in the top of the piston to permit the salt to enter the piston and to come in contact with the acid. The salt is preferably supported, either in the form of a tablet as shown in Fig. l or in a capsule as shown in Fig. 3, in a position adjacent to, or in which it will extend through, the opening in the top of the piston. Preferably the capsule or tablet is supported independently of the piston and to this end I have provided a suitable sup-- porting device which is secured to the cylinder head 9.,- and, as shown in Fig. 1, extends through the opening in the top of the piston. This supporting device may be in the form of a strap 7 of metal or the like, and, as here shown, it comprises side members connected at their inner ends by a cross bar on which rests the block or tablet of the salt. The strap 7 is of a relatively narrow width so as to permit the free passage of the salt about the same when the tablet is broken. 'Ihe breaking of the tablet may be accomplished in various Ways, but in the construction illustrated I have mounted a plunger 9 in the cylinder head 2 and have provided the same at its inner end with a pointed head l0 arranged adjacent to the tablet, and at its outer end with a disklike knob 11 which may be struck with the hand, 0r otherwise, to cause the head 10 to violently engage the tablet and break the same. In order that the tablet may be thoroughly shattered, so that it will fall in small l)ieees over the surface of the acid, it is desirable that the material from which the tablet is compressed should be in the form of a granular powder, a binder being employed if necessary to form the tablet. If sodium bicarbonate was compressed in a very finely powdered form, the tablet would be so hard that it -would not be so completely' shattered by the blow of the plunger as is a tablet formed from a granular powder. As here shown, the supporting strap 7 is carried by a boss l2 extending inwardly from a supplcmental eap 13 carried by the cylinder head 2, and is held in position thereon by a packing nut lll. It may extend through the opening in the end of the piston and is here Shown as of such a width as to engage the edge of the opening so as to hold the same against vibration, however this is not essential. The strap or support as here shown extends into the cavity in the piston so that the tablet or block 8 of sodium bicarbonate will also extend into the cavity thus insuring that a very large part of the tablet when 'broken will come in contact with the acid regardless of the position of the casing. The tablet may be protected from moisture or from the splashing of the acid thereon by providing the same with a coating of some material which is impervious to the action of the acid, such as paraffin, as shown at 15.

It is also desirable that some means be provided to indicate when the extinguisher is charged and ready for service and to accomplish this I have provided means for locking the plunger 9 against outward movement after it has been forced inwardly to shatter the tablet, thus it can be determined at a glance whether the plunger has been operated. As here shown, this locking dcvice comprises a :spring 17 rigidly secured to the cylinder head 2 and having a part bearing against the shank of the plunger 5), the spring being so mounted that it will exert pressure against the plunger. The shank of the plunger is provided with a notch 1S so arranged that when the plunger has been moved inwardly far enough to perform its function, the spring will enter the notch and lock the plunger against outward movement. The spring being free to move inwardly will permit the further movement of the plunger after the spring has entered the notch., the spring either moving with the plunger or slipping out of the notch, but inasmuch as the outward movement of the spring is prevented by its contact with the packing nut lll, it cannot yield sufficiently to permit it to slip out of the notch on the outward movement of the plunger and hence, the plunger is positively locked against outward movement until the cap has been removed andthe spring released.

As'has been stated, the salt may be supported otherwise than in the form of a block or tablet and in Fig. 3 I have shown the salt ina loosely powdered form Within a capsuleor container 1'9, Which is formed of light cardboard and has one or both ends closed by heads 2O inserted therein, and Which may be formed of or coated With paraiiin or the like after the salt has been placed therein. This capsule may be mounted Within the extinguisher in any suitable manner. In the present construction the container is cylindrical in shape and' is rigidly secured at its upper end tothe end Wall of the casing. It may be formed of any suitable materiahsuch as cardboard or light metal, and it is' here shown asl detachabiy secured to the end Wall by screwing the same into a boss 21, b-ut obviously, it may be otherwise supported, as by forming it in one piece With' the end Wall; I'n that forni of the device hereillustrated, it is necessary to close the loiver end only of thecontainer and paraffin is employed for this purpose, it being impervious totheacid and of such a character that it willl yield readily under pressure.

A plunger 22, similar totheplunger 9, is utilized to discharg'ethe salt from the container and is provided With' a hat disk-like head 23 which extends normally into and forms a closure for the outer endof the container, and which, When forced inwardly, Willexert suiii-cient pressure on the contents of the container to force out the head or paraffin closure 20 and thus permit the escape of the'contents of the container. In practice the closure will first resist the movement of theplunger, until considerable pressure hasbeen applied to the con-tents of the container, and* Will then yield suddenly sor that thecontents lWillbe discharged from the container Witlimore or lessforceand Will be scattered over the acid carried in the piston.

In this formof the device also, theplunger is provided With a locking deviceto resist the movement of the same from a` predeterminedf position. As here shown, the plunger 222 is provided With a resilient" detent Qdwvhichis here shown as U-shaped and as: having its paralleli arms secured to a packing nuit Q5 surrounding the shank of the plunger lIlhe plunger is provided with a notch 26 so arranged that it will be brought' in'toengagement vviththe detent 24 When the plunger has been moved a distance sufficient to discharge the contents of the container.

That form of the device illustrated in Fig." 3; vvhileshownasfa modification, has

advantages over the other construction which under certain circumstances make it the preferred construction.

The' operation of the device Willbe readily understood from the foregoing description of the several parts thereof and it will` be apparent that I have provided a tire extinguisher which is very simple in its construction and operation and which can be producedl at a very low cost. Further itvvill be apparent that the device may be very easily charged and this Without the use of any special tools, it being only necessary to remove the cap; or cylinder head, pour the liquid into the hollovv piston, place the tablet or container inL proper position on its supporting structure, and then restore the cap or head to its position on the casing. The ease with which the device can be charged not only makes it very easy to recharge the extinguisher after it has been used, but it facilitates the shipping of the saine, as the gas generating1 substances can be packed separately and placed in the extinguisher after it has reached its destinationgthus eliminating all possibility of their being brought into contact during the shipment. With the use of either theI tablet or the capsule, the salt will be scattered over the acid thus bringing a large portion thereof into instant contact With the acid and causing a: maxi mum evolution of gas in a minimum of time. IIhe construction of the piston is such that its contents Willbe retained therein regardless of the position in which the 100 ire extinguisher may be placed.V The manner of supporting the salt and the arrangement of the plunger for discharging the same into the acid is such that these parts can have rotatory movement Without danger 105 of' breaking the tablet or discharging the capsule, thus making it less liable that the salt vvill be accidentally brought* into contact with the acid during the handling of the fire extinguisher. 110

IVhile I* have shown and described two embodiments of my invention, I? do not Wish to be limited to the details of the construction as various modifications may occur t"o a person skilledin the art.

Having new fully described my invention, what I claim asnevv and desire to secure by Letters Patenti is:

1. In a fire extinguisher, al casing having a discharge opening, a-pisto1rmountedin said 120 casing and carrying on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening a receptacle for one of tWo substances which when brought tbgether Will produce gas, means to support the other of;` said substances inde- 125 pendently of said piston, and means to release the last mentioned substance from said support` and cause it to come into contact with the substance in said receptacle.

2; Ina fire extinguishenza casing having a 130 discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and carrying on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening a receptacle for one of two substances which when brought together will produce gas, means t0 support the other of said substances adjacent to but out of contact with the substance in said receptacle, and means to release the last mentioned substance from said support and scatter it over the substance in said receptacle.

3. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having a cavity in that side thereof opposite said discharge opening, said cavity being adapted to contain one of two substances which when brought together will produce gas, and means for supporting the other of said substances independently of said piston and for releasing said substance from its support to permit it to come into contact with the substance in the cavity in said piston.

4. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having a receptacle on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening, said receptacle being adapted to contain one of two substances which when brought together will produce gas, a supporting device car` ried by said casing and arranged to support the other of said substances adjacent to said receptacle, and means operable from the exterior of said casing to release said second substance and permit it to come into contact with the substance in said receptacle.

5. In a lire extinguisher, a casing having a Adischarge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having a receptacle on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening, said receptacle being adapted to contain a liquid, means for supporting adjacent to said receptacle a substance which when brought into contact with said liquid will produce gas, and means for releasing said substance from said support to permitit to come into contact with said liquid.

6. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having a receptacle on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening, said receptacle being adapted to contain a liquid, a supporting device carried by said casing and arranged adjacent to said receptacle and adapted to support a dry substance which when brought into contact with said liquid will produce gas, a covering for said dry substance which is impervious to the action of said liquid, and means for disrupting said covering and causing said dry substance to come into contact with said liquid.

7 In a lire extinguisher, a casing comprising a cylindrical body portion and a removable cap, and having a discharge opening at a point remote from said cap, a piston mounted in said cylindrical body portion and having a receptacle on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening to contain a liquid, a supporting device carried by said cap and removable therewith, said support-- ing device being adapted to support a substance which when brought into contact with said liquid will produce gas, and means to release said substance from said support and permit it to come into contact with said liquid.

8. In a lire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening', a hollow piston mounted in said casing and adapted to contain a liquid and having an opening in that end thereof opposite said discharge opening, a support carried by said casing and extending into the opening in said piston and adapted to support a substance which when brought into contact with the liquid in said piston will produce gas, and means for releasing said substance from said support to permit it to come into contact with said liquid.

9. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening, a hollow piston mounted in said casing and having its upper edge turned inwardly and downwardly to form an opening leading to the interior of said piston and to form a channel surrounding said opening and adapted to receive the contents of said piston when said casing is inverted, means for supporting adjacent to said opening in said piston a substance which when brought into contact with the contents of said piston will produce gas, and means to release said substance from said support and permit it to enter said piston.

10. In a lire extinguisher, a casing comprlsing a cylindrical body portion and a removable 4cap and having a discharge opening in that end remote from said cap, a hollow piston mounted in said casing and having its upper edge turned inwardly and downwardly to form an opening leading to the interior of said piston and to provide a channel surrounding said opening and adapted to receive the contents of said piston when said casing is inverted, a supporting structure carried bv said removable cap and extending into the opening in said piston and adapted to support in said opening and out of contact with the contents of said piston a substance which when brought into conta-ct with the liquid in said piston will produce gas, and means operable from the exterior of said casing to release said substance from said support and permit it to come into contact with said liquid.

11. In a fire extinguisher, a casing having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having a receptacle on that side thereof opposite said discharge opening, said receptacle being adapted to contain one of two substances which when brought together will produce. gas, a meansuior sup`- porting the other of: said substances a'dja`` cent to said receptacle, and a `device carried bysaid casing` and adapted to be operated from the exterior thereof tol release said sub-` stance from its support, andme'ans toflock` said casing and adapted to engage said plun-` j ger` and lock the same against returii unovelf ment aiterithasonfce beenoperated. y

13. In a tire extinguisher, a casing having discharge opening, a piston" mounted said casing and' c'a`1`*1"ying on that s'id'e thereoffopposite the discharge opening recepl' tacle for" on'e of two substances which when' brtniglit` together `v`vill`` produce gas,A means for Supporting container for the @maar sai'cl substances adjacent to said receptacle,

and means fordischarging the contents of said container into* said receptacle.

1i., In a lire extinguisher, a casing having j a discharge opening," a piston mounted said casing and carrying on that side there? of opposite the discharge opening a receptacle for one of two substances which when brought together will produce gas, a container mounted within said casing adjacent to said receptacle and adapted to receive the i other of said substances, a closure for that` end of said container adjacent to said receptacle, and an ejector extending into the opposite end of said container to displacesaid closure and discharge the contents of said container into said receptacle.

15. In a tire extinguisher, a casing, a piston mounted in said lcasing and having a receptaclev on one side thereof adapted to receive a liquid, a container mounted adjacent to said receptacle and adapted to receive a powdered substance, a closure for that end of said container adjacent to said re ceptacle, and a" plunger extending into said container to exert pressure on the contents thereof to displace said closure and discharge said contents into said receptacle.

16. In a re extinguisher, a casing having an end wall, a piston mounted in said casing and having on one side thereof a receptacle `of said casing adjacent to said receptacle,

ceptacl'e to'l dispiace nsaid closure and dis` charge the contents oi said container into saidreceptacle.` v i a 1 17.?` In aire extinguisher, au casing, a pis# ton mounted in said casing);` and lraving means to support a gas generating substance; urea sj other than said pistoir to sujiport a second gasgenerating substance', and means to' cause one of said substances to` be' brought into? contact with the otlrcunf` 18'. In fire extinguisher, a casing, a pistoni mounted `in said casing and having means to support a gas generating substance, and means independent oi' saidpiston to support second generating substance and cause the saine to come into Contact with the iirst `mentioned gas generating substance.

19;` extinguishercomprising a casing having an opening at tausend-thereof,

closurefor said openi1'1g,and" a piston,

causesad substance to te discharged inte 20.- A lire extingu'sher" comprisinglaj cas ing! having air op' ng at oneend thereof, a removable closure" for' stidopening, and pistoni, said extinlgliislier-` having means other than said closure to support a iiuid on "that side' or said piston adjacent to said opening, and means carried by and `removable With said closure for supporting a dry substance, and means also carried by said closure to cause said dry substance to be discharged into said fluid. j

21. A fire extinguisher comprising a casing having an opening at one end thereof,

` a removable closure for said opening, and

a piston, said extinguisher having means to support a fluid` on that side of `said piston adjacent to said opening, a container carried by and removable with said closure and adapted to contain a dry substance, and means carried by said closure for discharg ing the contents of said container intosaid fluid.

22. In a lire extinguisher, a casing having an end wall, meanscarried by said end wall to support one of two gas generating substances, means independent of said end Wall to support the other gas generating substance, and a device controlled from the ex terior of said casing to cause one of said substances to come into contact with the other.

23. In a re extinguisher, a casing, means carried by said casing to support a container for one of two gas generating substances, means independent of the iirst mentioned means to support a second gas generating substance adjacent to said container, and means controlled from the exterior of said casing to cause the contents of said container to be brought into contact with said second gas generating substance.

24. In a fire extinguisher, a casing, a structure to support a liquid within said casing, said supporting structure having an opening therein and having that portion thereof surrounding said opening shaped to form a receptacle to receive the contents of said structure when the latter is inverted, so that said contents will not pass through said opening when said casing is in any position, and means to support a second gas generating substance adjacent to said supporting structure and to cause said second substance to pass through the opening in said supporting structure and to come into contact with the liquid therein.

25. In a lire extinguisher, a casing, a structure to support a liquid within said casing, said structure having an opening at one end thereof, a container supported within said casing and adapted to contain a second gas generating substance, said container having a portion extending into and closing the opening in said supporting structure, and means to cause the contents of said container to be discharged into said structure.

- 26. In a iire extinguisher, a piston having a cavity in the upper side thereof, the upper edge of the wall of said cavity being turned inwardly and downwardly to form anopening leading into said cavity and to form a channel surrounding said opening and adapted to receive the contents of said cavity when said piston is inverte 27. In a fire extinguisher, a casing to contain a fire extinguishing fluid and having a discharge opening, means to support within said casing two substances which, when brought together, will produce gas, a plunger operable from the exterior of said casing to cause said substances to be brought into contact one with the other, said plunger having a recess therein, and a resilient device arranged to enter said recess when said plunger is in a predetermined position and to resist the movement of said plunger from said position.

28. In a ire extinguisher, a casing to contain a fire extinguishing fluid and having a discharge opening, a piston mounted in said casing and having means to support a gas generating substance, a container supported adjacent to said piston and adapted to contain a second gas generating substance, a plunger operable from the exterior of said casing to discharge the contents of said con-- tainer, and a resilient device coperating with said plunger to resist the movement oi the same from a predetermined position.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature hereto.

MELROSE G. KOPF. f

copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

